President Obama started the New Year off with a wave of ICE raids, including early morning raids of family homes with young children. Obama’s legacy, when it comes to immigration, will be one of mass deportations, the jailing of immigrants in for-profit prisons and of worsening the US foreign policies that drive people to leave their homes. We’ll speak with Abraham Paulos, executive director of Families for Freedom, which has taken bold actions to highlight and stop these practices. And we’ll speak with Alexis Stoumbelis of Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) about the policies that drive migration.
Listen here:
ICE Raids, Mass Deportation and the Roots of Immigration with Abraham Paulos & Alexis Stoumbelis by Clearingthefog on Mixcloud
Relevant articles and websites:
NYPD Breaks Up Pro-Immigration Protest by RT
In the Face of ICE Raids, Know Your Rights
Stop the Raids; Focus on US Policy Instead by CISPES
Here’s Why the US is Stepping Up the Deportation of Central Americans by Greg Grandin
Guests:
Abraham Paulos is executive director of Families for Freedom. Abraham joined Families for Freedom, as a member, after he faced immigration detention. His experience moved him to aggressively advocate for others. Abraham is deeply committed to social justice and has worked for a number of years advocating for human rights. Before joining the staff, he was a researcher at Human Rights First, focused on immigration detention. He also served as Program Director at Life of Hope, a community based organization in Brooklyn, which provides services to low-income immigrants. Additionally, Abraham has worked in media, reporting on urban policy and human rights as a writer and editorial assistant with City Limits, the civic affairs magazine that publishes investigative news on New York City politics and policies. Abraham is an Eritrean refugee, born in Sudan and raised in Chicago. He is a graduate of George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs and is currently finishing a Masters in Human Rights at the New School University. – See more at: http://familiesforfreedom.org/about#staff
Alexis Stoumbelis is the Co-Director of CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. Since 1980, CISPES has been leading grassroots campaigns in the United States against US military, economic and political intervention in El Salvador and Central America. She is based in Washington, DC.